Pekka Rinne (; born 3 November 1982) is a
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
former professional
hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
. Drafted by the
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...
in the
2004 NHL Entry Draft
The 2004 NHL Entry Draft was the 42nd NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 26 and 27, 2004 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is especially notable because it was the last NHL event to take place before the beginning of the lockout, ...
, Rinne became their starting goaltender during the
2008–09 season and quickly established himself as one of the NHL's best goaltenders. He won the
Vezina Trophy
The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's (NHL) goaltender who is "adjudged to be the best at this position". At the end of each season, the thirty-two NHL general managers vote to determine the winner. It is named in ...
as the NHL's best goaltender in the
2017–18 season, and was a finalist for the award four times. Rinne led the Predators to their first
Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, french: Finale de la Coupe Stanley) is the National Hockey League's (NHL) championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, North America ...
appearance in franchise history in
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
, losing to the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
in six games.
Rinne is Nashville's franchise leader in wins and shutouts, and is a four-time
NHL All-Star
The National Hockey League All-Star Game (french: Match des Étoiles de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey, links=no) is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many ...
. He also holds the record for the most NHL wins by a Finnish-born goaltender. Rinne is one of only 12
NHL goaltenders to score a goal in either the regular season or the playoffs.
Playing career
Oulun Kärpät
Rinne was developed in
Kärpät, playing predominantly for their junior team between 2000 and 2003, and for their men's team in championship-winning years 2004 and 2005, mostly as a backup to
Niklas Bäckström
Niklas Oskar Bäckström (; born 13 February 1978) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender and current goaltending coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He played ten seasons for the Minnesota Wild and Calgary Flames in the Nation ...
.
Nashville Predators
![Pekka Rinne](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Pekka_Rinne.jpg)
Rinne was drafted 258th overall in the eighth round of the
2004 NHL Entry Draft
The 2004 NHL Entry Draft was the 42nd NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 26 and 27, 2004 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is especially notable because it was the last NHL event to take place before the beginning of the lockout, ...
by the
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...
. He was signed by the Predators on 23 August 2005, and began his North American playing career with the Predators' top minor league affiliate, the
Milwaukee Admirals
The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena. They are affiliated with the NHL's Nashvil ...
of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
(AHL). Initially, Rinne was slated to be the backup for
Brian Finley
Brian Finley (born July 13, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender.
Playing career
Finley was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. As a youth, he played in the 1995 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a mino ...
, but Rinne became the starter as a consequence of Finley's poor play. In the summer of 2006, Rinne was "roughed up by a couple of unknown assailants" and during the fight, he dislocated his shoulder. As a result, he had to have surgery and missed the first four months of the season.
Rinne appeared in two NHL games with Nashville during the
2005–06 season. He compiled a record of 1–1–0 with a .900
save percentage
Save percentage (often known by such symbols as SV%, SVS%, SVP, PCT) is a statistic in various goal-scoring sports that track saves as a statistic.
In ice hockey and lacrosse, it is a statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal ...
and a
goals against average
Goals against average (GAA) also known as "average goals against" or "AGA" is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on s ...
(GAA) of 3.80.
Following
Dan Ellis
Daniel Ellis (born June 19, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently a goaltending scout for the Chicago Blackhawks.
He played in the National Hockey League for the Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Tampa B ...
's stellar performance for Nashville in the
2007–08 season, starter
Chris Mason was traded to the
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
and Rinne was called up to serve as backup to Ellis for the subsequent
2008–09 season.
![Pekkarinne](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Pekkarinne.jpg)
On 1 December 2008, Rinne became only the second Predators rookie goaltender ever to record a shutout. In February 2009, Rinne recorded 9 wins in 12 games and had a .944 save percentage and a 1.72 GAA. He was selected as the NHL Rookie of the Month for his performances. On 14 March, Rinne set a Predators franchise record with his seventh shutout of the season. Rinne was one of two goaltenders to play for
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
in the
2009 IIHF World Championship of hockey, the other being
Karri Rämö
Karri Rämö (born July 1, 1986) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He began his professional career in the SM-Liiga, initially with the Lahti Pelicans and then HPK, where he was a member ...
. Rinne started the tournament with a shutout in his first game for the Finns, saving 30 shots.
In the
2010–11 season opener, Rinne allowed a goal before colliding with
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center.
...
forward
Troy Bodie and suffering a lower-body injury on the play.
Anders Lindbäck
Anders Lindbäck (born 3 May 1988) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently playing with Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He has previously played for the Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas S ...
relieved him and went on to start three games before Rinne returned, only to go down to injury again in December. Upon returning on 23 December, Rinne remained healthy and put up some of the best numbers of his career, including a 1.71 GAA and .946 save percentage in January. At the conclusion of the season came many accolades; Rinne was named one of the three finalists for the
Vezina Trophy
The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's (NHL) goaltender who is "adjudged to be the best at this position". At the end of each season, the thirty-two NHL general managers vote to determine the winner. It is named in ...
, conferred to the NHL's top goaltender as judged by the NHL's general managers. He also finished fourth in
Hart Memorial Trophy
The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, is an annual award for the most valuable player in the National Hockey League (NHL), voted by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. The original trophy was donat ...
voting, as the NHL's
most valuable player
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
, and was named an NHL second team All-Star. Rinne led the Predators to their first ever
Stanley Cup playoff series win in franchise history in
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, prevailing over the Anaheim Ducks via a 4–2 series win.
After shutting-out the Ducks on 29 October 2011, Rinne set the mark for the Predators franchise record for
shutout
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball.
Shutouts are usuall ...
s, with 22. On Rinne's 29th birthday, 3 November 2011, he signed a seven-year $49 million contract, the largest contract in Nashville Predators team history (since surpassed by teammate
Shea Weber
Shea Michael Weber (born August 14, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman under contract with the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played sixteen seasons in the NHL for the Nashville Predators and M ...
and his 13-year, $114 million contract). That night, Rinne posted a 35-save shutout on the road against the
Phoenix Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...
. During the
2011–12 season, Rinne set a franchise record with 11 consecutive wins, passing
Tomáš Vokoun
Tomáš Vokoun (; born 2 July 1976) is a Czech former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Nashville Predators, after he was originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the ninth round, 226 ...
's previous mark of eight. Rinne had another excellent year in 2011–12, leading the NHL in wins, shots against, saves and games played. On 25 April 2012, Rinne was again named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the second consecutive year. He also helped the Predators get past the
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
in the
2012 playoffs to win the series 4–1. However, Rinne and the Predators were unable to advance any further, falling to Phoenix in five games in the next round.
On 25 September 2012, Rinne joined Belarusian club
Dinamo Minsk of the
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs ba ...
(KHL) due to the impending
2012–13 NHL lockout
The 2012–13 NHL lockout was a labor dispute between the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) that began at 11:59 pm EDT on September 15, 2012. A tentative deal on a new collective barga ...
. However, he left Dinamo in December and returned to the Predators at the end of the lockout in January 2013 to begin the shortened, 48-game
2012–13 season.
In May 2013, Rinne had a
hip arthroscopy
Hip arthroscopy refers to the viewing of the interior of the acetabulofemoral (hip) joint through an arthroscope and the treatment of hip pathology through a minimally invasive approach. This technique is sometimes used to help in the treatment of ...
. The hip then became infected on 24 October 2013, leaving Rinne off the ice and undergoing rigorous rehabilitation for the remainder of 2013. He returned to action on 5 March 2014 against the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
, allowing three goals in a 3–1 loss.
![PekkaRinne35](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/PekkaRinne35.jpg)
Rinne was a nominee for the 2015
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. It is named after Bill Masterton, the only player in NHL h ...
, which eventually went to veteran player
Jaromír Jágr
Jaromír Jágr (; born 15 February 1972) is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger for and the owner of Rytíři Kladno of the Czech Extraliga (ELH). He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, ...
. Rinne was also a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2015, marking his third career nomination for the award; he lost to the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
'
Carey Price
Carey Price (born August 16, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is considered to be one of the best goaltenders in the world by many colleagues, fans, ''The ...
.
On 14 March 2015, Rinne became the fastest goaltender, in terms of games played, to record 30 wins in 39 games since the NHL adopted the shootout, and just the third goaltender in the NHL's expansion era to record 30 wins in 39 games or less.
On 16 March 2017, Rinne became the 67th goaltender to play at least 500 NHL games. On 22 May 2017, Rinne backstopped the Predators to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final by defeating the Anaheim Ducks four games to two. https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/predators-advance-stanley-cup-final-win-ducks/ The Predators lost the Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins four games to two. https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nhl/predators/2017/06/12/predators-season-ends-game-6-loss-stanley-cup-final/387449001/
On 24 November 2017, the Predators defeated the St. Louis Blues 2–0; the shutout was the 45th of Rinne's career, making him the NHL's all-time leader amongst Finnish-born goaltenders. On 22 February 2018, Rinne became the 34th goaltender to record 300 career NHL wins following a 7–1 victory over the
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...
. When he recorded his
300th win, he had the third-highest win percentage of all goaltenders with at least 300 wins, at 54.34%, behind only
Martin Brodeur
Martin Pierre Brodeur (; born May 6, 1972) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey goaltender and current team executive. He played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), 21 of them for the New Jersey Devils, with whom ...
and
Marc-André Fleury
Marc-André Fleury (born November 28, 1984) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) first overall by the Pittsbur ...
. On 17 April, Rinne was again named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, which he won on 20 June.
On 3 November 2018, Rinne signed a two-year, $10 million contract extension with Nashville. That night, as was the case in 2011, Rinne posted a 26-save shutout over the visiting
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
in
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
.
On 9 January 2020, Rinne became the 12th goaltender in NHL history and the second goaltender in Predators history to score a goal, doing so against the
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...
by shooting the puck into the empty net from behind his team's goal line with less than 22 seconds left in the game.
On 10 May 2021, in the final game of the
2020–21 season, Rinne posted a 30-save shutout in a 5–0 win over the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
. It was his 369th career win, tying him for 19th all-time with
Tom Barrasso
Thomas Patrick Barrasso (born March 31, 1965) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 18 seasons. He began his time in the NHL with the Buffalo ...
. It was also his 60th career shutout, passing
Evgeni Nabokov
Yevgeni Viktorovich Nabokov (russian: Евге́ний Ви́кторович Набо́ков; born July 25, 1975) is a Kazakhstani-Russian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders, and Ta ...
for 19th all-time on that list as well.
On 13 July 2021, Rinne announced his retirement from professional hockey. The Predators also announced that Rinne's number 35 jersey would be retired on 24 February 2022, making him the first player in team history to receive the honor.
International play
![2015 IIHF World Championship – DEN vs FIN (5)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/2015_IIHF_World_Championship_%E2%80%93_DEN_vs_FIN_%285%29.jpg)
In May 2014, Rinne was named to the All-Star team and selected as the Most Valuable Player of the
2014 IIHF World Championship
The 2014 IIHF World Championship was hosted by Belarus in its capital, Minsk, held from 9–25 May 2014. Sixteen national teams were competing in two venues, the Minsk-Arena and Chizhovka-Arena. It was the first time Belarus hosted the tourname ...
as
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
claimed the silver medal. Rinne also participated in the
2015 IIHF World Championship
The 2015 IIHF World Championship was the 79th event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), held from 1–17 May 2015 in Prague and Ostrava, Czech Republic. It broke the historical attendance record of IIHF World Championships ...
the following year and was named the tournament's best goaltender, setting a new
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 m ...
(IIHF) record for minutes played without allowing a goal.
In March 2016, Rinne was named to Finland's
2016 World Cup of Hockey roster. He played in one out of three tournament games and in two out of three pre-tournament games.
Playing style
Rinne utilized the popular
butterfly style
In ice hockey, butterfly style is a technique of goaltending distinguished by the goaltender guarding the lower part of the net by dropping to the knees to block attempts to score. The butterfly style derives its name from the resemblance of the ...
of goaltending, dropping to his knees early and using his leg pads to block low shot attempts. At 6' 5" (1.96m), Rinne was the among the tallest goaltenders in the league, which gave him tremendous reach with his stick and leg pads. For a tall goaltender, he utilized great footwork, had a great glove hand, but played with a smaller stick than most goaltenders did.
Personal life
Rinne is the son of Jukka and Helena Rinne, and he has two sisters, Anna and Päivi. As a child, Rinne idolized
John Vanbiesbrouck.
Rinne was engaged to ''
The Voice of Finland
''The Voice of Finland'' is a Finnish reality singing competition and local version of ''The Voice'' first broadcast as ''The Voice of Holland''. The series premiered on Nelonen on 30 December 2011 and the first season concluded in April 2012. ...
'' contestant Kirsi Lehtosaari in April 2013. Lehtosaari reported in engagement announcements that living in a music city like Nashville helped her aspiration to become a pop star. She planned to continue her music interests in Nashville until the end of Rinne's NHL career. Rinne, likewise, planned to return to Finland after his retirement. However, their engagement was called off around July 2015.
Rinne has one son, Paulus, with his fiancée, Erika.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards
NHL
International
SM-Liiga
References
External links
*
Pekka Rinne on nhlfinns.netPekka Rinne @ hockeysfuture.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rinne, Pekka
1982 births
Living people
Finnish expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Finnish ice hockey goaltenders
HC Dinamo Minsk players
Hokki players
King Clancy Memorial Trophy winners
Milwaukee Admirals players
Nashville Predators draft picks
Nashville Predators players
National Hockey League All-Stars
Oulun Kärpät players
People from Kempele
Sportspeople from North Ostrobothnia
Vezina Trophy winners
Finnish expatriate ice hockey players in Belarus